


Maid Service

by vix_spes



Series: Kink Me Merlin Fills [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossdressing, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-25
Updated: 2011-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-07 19:29:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1123538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur knew that he was in trouble when he started imagining his new maid in one of those sexy little dresses you saw in the window at Anne Summers...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maid Service

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the following prompt on [kinkme_merlin](http://kinkme-merlin.livejournal.com): A/M modern era. The thing about Arthur is that even though he loves a clean house he’s rubbish at doing it himself. Morgana and Uther are tired and embarrassed about this – hire a live-in maid (Merlin). Things work out great, just nobody knew they’d fall for each other. Bottom!Merlin

“Fuck!”

Arthur cursed as he shut the door to his house, dumped his briefcase by the door and tried to walk towards the kitchen without bothering to turn the light on only to fall head over heels over a pile of stuff. He groaned and fumbled blindly for the light switch before he fell over something else and broke his neck. As the lights came on, he saw that the pile of stuff that had tried to kill him was his gym bag, something that hadn’t been used in the last six weeks at least; certainly not since he’d been given that huge contract at work. As soon as he’d been given it, along with an admonishment from his father (and head of Pendragon Enterprises) that he better not mess things up, his average working day had gone from between ten and twelve hour days to fourteen hour days minimum.

He wished that he could blame his long hours on the hovel that he was living in but he couldn’t; as much as he hated the mess that cluttered his house he was just useless at keeping it clean. The house in Greenwich that belonged to him was beautiful (even if it had been decorated by a fairly vapid blonde called Sophia) but that didn’t seem to make a jot of difference; the kitchen was piled high with dirty crockery and half-empty (and empty) takeaway containers, his laundry never quite made it into the laundry basket and both the living room and the dining room were stacked high with copies of files, print-outs of things that he needed for research and general work-related things despite the fact that he had a study for precisely that purpose. He had a beautiful but woefully underused Aston Martin convertible in the drive outside and he was probably more acquainted with the couch in his office than his own bed.

He couldn’t remember the last time that his father or sister came round. Uther Pendragon, CEO of Pendragon Enterprises, was beyond embarrassment by the state of his son’s home and simply refused to set foot in Arthur’s house while Morgana was just sick of telling Arthur to sort things out. The thing was, the mess couldn’t be attributed solely to the stresses and long hours of his job. The main problem was that Arthur was just plain useless at keeping his home clean. It was potentially an example of how spoilt Arthur had been but he had never had to keep his room tidy as a child and generally growing up in his father’s ridiculously large townhouse as Uther had employed a series of maids and housekeepers. At boarding school, all that was required of him was that he keep his bed made and the rest of his things neat and tidy, greatly aided by the fact that he barely had any personal belongings. Even as an undergraduate at Cambridge he hadn’t had to clean his room. It had just never really been something that he had had to deal with.

He just about managed to summon the energy to drink a glass of milk, stagger up the stairs and strip down to his boxers, wincing as his expensive suit was left in a crumpled heap before collapsing into bed, dead to the world within minutes. When he next surfaced it was to the smell of coffee and pastries rising up the stairs. Morgana had obviously availed herself of the spare key he had given her, the one that was supposedly for emergencies. He didn’t bother to put anything on over his boxers and made his way downstairs bleary-eyed and still half-asleep. There was no sign of Morgana in the kitchen but he knew exactly where she would be so he helped himself to fresh coffee and pastries before wandering out to the little conservatory at the back of the house. He was never at home during the day and it had no purpose in the evening, consequently, it was the only clean place in the house and the only place that Morgana would venture. She was exactly where he thought she would be and he dropped a kiss to her cheek as he slumped onto the wicker couch.

“Morning ‘Gana.”

She smiled at him. “It’s afternoon Arthur.” It wasn’t meant to be a reprimand though. Morgana worked at Pendragon Enterprises and worked just as hard as Arthur. She didn’t liv in a dumpsite though. “We need to talk Arthur.”

This wasn’t going to bode well. “About what?”

“This house is a disgrace Arthur Pendragon. There’s no wonder that Dad refuses to come round anymore and why none of our friends will come over. I’ve had enough of it and I really don’t like having an embarrassment for a brother. You’re barely sleeping and you’re not eating properly. I’m worried about you.”

“Is there a point to this Morgana?”

“Yes, there is. I’ve arranged for you to have a live-in maid; they can have your spare bedroom and they’ll take care of all the cooking and cleaning.”

“A maid? Morgana, I don’t need a maid.”

“Yes, you do. No excuses. Drink your coffee and have a shower; we have enough time to clear the spare room before we have to meet Dad for dinner.”

~*~

By the following morning, Arthur had just about reconciled himself to the idea that Morgana had got him a live-in maid but whatever his mental picture, it was the complete opposite to what he got. There was a knock on the door at about twelve thirty and when Arthur swung open the door he could just stand and stare in shock. He had imagined a motherly woman, maybe in her mid to late forties who would run his life efficiently and not take any nonsense. He hadn’t expected this. Stood in front of him was a young man maybe two years younger than Arthur himself. He seemed to be all long limbs with ridiculously large ears, chiselled cheekbones and large expressive blue eyes. He also had a captivating smile that he directed straight towards Arthur.

“Hi, you must be Arthur Pendragon. I’m Merlin Emrys. A Ms Le Fay hired me?”

Arthur nodded. “Morgana. She’s my sister. I have to admit you weren’t what I was expecting when she said she had hired a live-in maid.”

“Yes well, I can’t be your live-in maid if you keep me standing on the doorstep.”

Arthur flushed slightly even as he stood back to allow the younger man in through the door. He didn’t get very far as he stood in shock at the house. Arthur blushed even more in embarrassment at the state of his house.

“Ms Le Fay wasn’t joking when she said I have my work out for me. If you tell me where I’m going to be staying then I’ll go and get the rest of my things. I’ll make lunch and then get started on things.”

“Your room is up the stairs and the second door on the left. Why don’t you go and get settled and I’ll get the rest of your things?”

“That would be great.” Merlin handed over his keys. “It’s the old N reg Ford Fiesta; there are a couple of boxes and my laptop bag in the boot.”

It took Arthur all of five minutes to collect two rather heavy boxes and a bulging laptop bag from the boot of the rather battered and filthy car belonging to Merlin. By the time he got back into the house and dumped the things by the front door, Merlin had found his way to the kitchen and was stood in the doorway, surveying it with dismay.

“When was the last time you ate something that wasn’t a takeaway?”

Arthur knew that it wasn’t a good sign when he had to actually think about the answer. “I don’t know. Maybe a week?”

He was dying to know where Morgana had found Merlin as the other man rolled his eyes and moved towards the huge American-style fridge. He opened it and Arthur just cringed as it was pretty much empty with the exception of some butter, a lump of cheese and half a loaf of bread.

“I don’t know what your first impression of me was but I can’t magic food out of thin air. Just so that you know for future reference ... this is a fridge. Fridges are used to store food. Food can be purchased in supermarkets.”

“Ha ha _Mer_ lin. You’re such a comedian.”

Seriously, he had to find out where Morgana had found Merlin ... and buy her a bloody brilliant present. He moaned aloud (much to his mortification) as a bowl of tomato soup and a plate of toasted cheese sandwiches were placed in front of him. They didn’t speak while they ate and literally as soon as he’d eaten the last bite, Arthur had found himself shooed out of the kitchen and told to find something to occupy himself with. Arthur wasn’t used to taking orders from other people (unless they were his father) but he found himself in his study in front of his laptop, trying to concentrate on some work. He managed to lose himself in the fine print of some contract, only emerging when he heard Morgana’s exclamation of “Oh Merlin, it looks so much better!” How had he managed to miss the entrance of his harpy of a sister? Not wanting Morgana to run rough-shod over the younger man, he made his way into the kitchen only to be made speechless for the second time that day.

Ignoring the supermarket bags that littered the floor (Waitrose of course and obviously courtesy of Morgana), Merlin had made serious inroads into the complete and utter pig-sty that was his kitchen. He could see the work surfaces now and there wasn’t a pitiful collection of dead and dying plants on the windowsill. He smiled as Morgana kissed him softly on the cheek.

“I wanted to come and meet Merlin in person and I was positive that you wouldn’t have any food in the house.” She smiled at Merlin and Arthur had the awful premonition that these two could become great partners-in-crime. “Let’s sit down for a minute and discuss practicalities.” She waited for them both to sit down before she started talking again. “As I said to you on the phone Merlin, this is a three month trial period and during that time your salary will be paid by our father. Beyond the duties that I outlined on the phone, any free time is yours to do with as you choose. Arthur, we set up a household bank account that both you and Merlin can access for food etc. There’s enough in it for this week but then you’ll need to top it up with whatever you think. Any questions? No? Good, I’m off to meet Morgause for a drink.”

Morgana disappeared in a flurry of designer clothes and Chanel No.5 leaving Arthur sat at the table as Merlin started to put away the groceries. Almost absent-mindedly, Arthur found himself watching Merlin, vaguely entranced by the strange beauty that the younger man possessed. It was a well-known fact amongst friends and family that Arthur was gay and had been since his late teens. Uther had been bothered by it initially but after continued threats from Morgana and the delights of a sullen Arthur he had come round to the idea and had told Arthur that all that mattered was Arthur’s happiness. That still hadn’t convinced Arthur to bring any boyfriends back to meet the family. Then again, could he really term any of them boyfriends? He had dumped Cedric after three dates when he turned out to be a simpering idiot who was only after Arthur’s money and Cenred had only lasted a couple of hours when it turned out that he had a leather fetish and had tried to take Arthur to an S & M club on their first date. As soon as he had finished his MA he had started working for his father and his social life had become non-existent. Merlin was completely unlike anybody he’d ever been attracted to before; he had a fey quality to his looks that just seemed to draw Arthur in closer.

Okay, so the ears were more than slightly ridiculous but Arthur still had the overwhelming urge to nibble on them. He wanted to run his fingers over those phenomenal cheekbones and the full lips were beyond tempting. As was the creamy skin and protruding collarbones that he wanted to mark. Not to mention the fact that Merlin had an arse to die for. He struggled not to groan at the realising of what he had probably known subconsciously since he had opened the front door; he was screwed.

~*~

After just over two weeks of having Merlin living in the house, Arthur was finding the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable which was something that he really hadn’t expected. Rather than staying in the office until all hours of the morning he had found himself looking forward to going home because the house was no longer empty. It was also no longer silent due to Merlin’s tendency to babble incessantly. That wasn’t to say that Arthur was leaving work at sociable hours. He still left at around five am and often didn’t return until nine or ten pm but it was just nice knowing that he wasn’t going home to an empty house. It was even nicer on the odd day that he did manage to leave early and could sit in the kitchen listening to Merlin babble on about something or other.

Merlin was unlike anything he’d expected. Admittedly, Merlin was paid to look after him but he got the feeling Merlin cared for him regardless. A prime example of this had been two days ago. Various legal wranglings meant that he had been stuck at the office until midnight and he had been called into the office at 4.30am by his father. By the time that he got home, he had been absolutely exhausted and had literally collapsed on the sofa, falling asleep immediately. He had woken up the following morning to the smell of frying bacon and freshly brewed coffee and the realisation that Merlin had tucked a blanket around him at some point after he’d fallen asleep, taking his shoes off and moving him fully onto the sofa so that he was more comfortable. Arthur had been so exhausted, he hadn’t even noticed. He knew that Merlin was being paid to cook and clean for him but it was the little things like that, the little things that he didn’t need to do but did anyway, that made Arthur feel a burst of warmth inside his chest. Despite still being dressed in his suit from the night before he went straight into the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Merlin stood at the range, humming along to something on the radio as he cooked. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.

“Morning.” He winced at the roughness of his voice, something caused by all of the late nights and the illicit cigarette breaks he had been sneaking out for in order to deal with the stress. He was definitely stopping those as soon as this contract was finalised.

Collapsing into a chair at the kitchen table, he couldn’t help the rush of longing that swept through him as Merlin swung round and flashed him a smile. The longing that this was a real relationship, that Merlin wasn’t simply someone his sister had hired and that his father was paying. He perked up slightly as Merlin set a full English breakfast in front of him and decided that, on the basis of his cooking skills alone, there was no way that he was letting Merlin go at the end of the trial period. By the time Merlin sat down with his own breakfast, he was already starting to feel more human. He was pathetically grateful that it was a weekend and he didn’t have to go to work that day.

“You are aware that your back wouldn’t hurt so much if you used your bed once in a while, aren’t you?”

“Hey! I’ve been sleeping in my bed a lot more in the last couple of weeks.” Arthur couldn’t silence the traitorous little voice inside his head that whispered he wanted to sleep (and a lot more) with Merlin in his bed. “What are you doing?”

Merlin had finished his breakfast, got up and moved behind Arthur and started to massage his aching shoulders.

“I hope you realise that this wasn’t in the job description that Morgana gave me?”

Arthur moaned and shifted slightly as Merlin’s fingers dug into a particularly hard knot, partly because of the pain and partly because of the effect that the feel of Merlin’s hands on him was having on certain parts of his anatomy.

“I know but you keep doing that and you can have whatever you want.”

“How about the day off on Friday?” He could hear the grin in Merlin’s voice.

“Don’t stop and it’s yours.”

~*~

He felt his phone vibrate and, despite knowing his father hated them using their phones while they were eating, he dug it out of his pocket and checked the screen, delight filling him as he saw that it was from Merlin. He hadn’t seen the younger man since the previous morning as Merlin had had an appointment somewhere out of the city and as he hadn’t wanted to elaborate on where he was going, Arthur hadn’t pushed. Having said that, Arthur had been a blissed out pile of goo courtesy of Merlin’s magic hands when he had agreed to Merlin having the day off so Merlin could be doing anything as far as he knew. He had panicked at the thought of having to order takeaway after getting used to Merlin’s home cooking, and had panicked even more at the thought of an empty house. He had got home late, not seeing any point in going home with nobody there. He had walked into the kitchen, flicking on the lights and about to reach for the takeaway menu when he saw a Perspex dish covered in tinfoil and with a fluorescent post-it stuck on top. Beyond curious, he looked over and recognised Merlin’s handwriting on the note: _‘Half an hour at 180°C. I can guarantee it tastes better than takeaway Merlin x.’_ That such a simple thing could make him feel so much better was verging on beyond comprehension. Now that he knew who it was on the other end of the phone, he just had to know what Merlin had to say so he clicked on the message.

_‘Congratulations ... you’ve discovered the laundry basket_ _J_ _Merlin x’_

Arthur couldn’t help the snort of laughter, despite the fact that he was in the middle of a rather expensive restaurant. He looked up hesitantly as Uther stopped talking and the silence was deafening. Morgana’s smirk was particularly gloating and he resisted the urge to scowl.

“Who’s that Arthur?”

Morgana couldn’t resist chipping in. “I’m assuming that text was from Merlin. He’s the maid that I told you about,” she added in an aside to Uther.

Uther frowned slightly. “Merlin? That’s a rather unusual name ... it’s a male name isn’t it?” At Morgana and Arthur’s nod, he looked even more confused. “What is a man doing working as a maid? It’s rather unconventional.”

“I don’t actually know what he’s doing working as a maid father.” Arthur actually looked rather shamefaced by that admission.

“He’s doing it because it allows him to study at the same time while earning money. He’s studying for a PhD.”

“Merlin’s doing a PhD?!”

“Yes, something to do with Classical Civilisations I believe. He did tell me the full title but I can’t remember it.”

Arthur felt even guiltier both at Morgana’s words and at the fact that his house was such a nightmare that Merlin obviously had so much to do in his house that he hadn’t been able to work on his PhD. Those two incredibly heavy boxes that he had moved out of Merlin’s car were obviously filled with books and as far as he knew, those boxes were still unpacked on the floor of Merlin’s bedroom. There wasn’t even anywhere that Merlin _could_ work, his room didn’t even have a desk. It suddenly dawned on him that that was probably where Merlin had gone yesterday; to see his thesis supervisor. He had gone to see his thesis supervisor having not done any work for a fortnight because he had been cleaning Arthur’s house. He stopped paying attention to what his father and Morgana were talking about, simply nodding and giving a few non-committal answers. Instead, he was mentally thinking of what he could do to say thank-you to Merlin and attempt to make things better for him. By the time that their plates were being cleared away, he had come up with a solution. When he had bought the house, there had been a study upstairs but Arthur had deemed it not big enough and had had one added to the house by knocking through the outside wall of the dining room and adding an extension. The original upstairs study had simply turned into a storage space for all kinds of miscellaneous crap and, as far as he knew, Merlin hadn’t even come close to tackling it. Arthur was going to clear out the original study (well, move the crap into the loft to sort out later) and give it to Merlin for his own use and ensure that Merlin knew he could work on his PhD. All of a sudden he was desperate to get home and he shook his head when he was offered the dessert menu.

“No thank you. I’m sorry but I’ve got to leave. I’ll see you both on Monday.”

As he left the restaurant, heading for home and the enactment of his new plan, he didn’t hear the confused voice of his father behind him.

“Morgana, is something going on that I’m not aware of?”

(~*~)

When Arthur got back to his house, Merlin’s battered little car was parked rather incongruously next to Arthur’s Aston Martin and the sight couldn’t help but make him smile. As he entered the house he could hear the tv and, sticking his head into the living room, saw Merlin doing the ironing and watching an old rerun of Midsomer Murders. As if he sensed Arthur’s presence he swung round with a familiar glint in his eye; the one that meant Arthur was going to be told off.

“You do realise that there’s a wonderful invention called a coat hanger, yes? There’s absolutely no way that you can wear that many shirts in a week. So, if you decide that you don’t look like Mr Perfect Adonis in a particular shirt can you hang it back up again in the wardrobe? I have other things to do than spend six hours ironing things that didn’t really need ironing in the first place. I may be your maid but I’m not a servant.”

“Stop whining Merlin.”

Even the sight of the upstairs study couldn’t wipe the grin off Arthur’s face at the banter between them. He completely lost track of time over the course of the afternoon as he cleared away all of his junk and made the study habitable for Merlin. He managed to get everything cleared away into four large boxes that were put in the loft and did a cursory wipe of all the surfaces. By the time he was finished and there was a fairly (although not spotless) study complete with desk, shelves, lamp and chair, Merlin was yelling up the stairs that dinner was ready. All throughout dinner Merlin was shooting him strange looks and looking rather worried about the way that he was behaving; Arthur was fidgety and unable to sit still, only picking at the meal, he was that desperate to show Merlin what he had done and, more importantly, for Merlin to like it. As soon as Merlin put his cutlery down on his empty plate, Arthur sprang up.

“Have you finished? Yes? Good, I want to show you something.” He was babbling. Why was he babbling?

He grabbed a rather confused Merlin by the wrist and practically dragged him upstairs. How was he now going to explain this to Merlin?

“Arthur, what is going on?”

Arthur came to a halt outside the shut door of the upstairs study. “Right, well, I had lunch with Morgana and my father today and Morgana told me something interesting.” Why was this so bloody difficult and why was he so fucking nervous? “She said that you’re doing your PhD; which you never mentioned to me by the way. It made me realise that you didn’t have anywhere to work and you probably haven’t really had time to do any work so I’ve cleared this for you.” He swung the door open and watched the surprise and delight warring for dominance on Merlin’s face. “It’s yours to do with as you want.”

He was expecting a thank you. He wasn’t expecting scrawny arms to wrap around his neck and an equally scrawny body to press closer to him. It took him a moment to return the hug and when he did, he didn’t really want to stop. It would be so easy to just press Merlin back into the wall and tilt his head the smallest fraction so that he could claim those full lips. From there it was merely a few feet to his bedroom and the bed where Merlin was the star of his nightly fantasies. Merlin felt simply amazing in his arms and it was all he could do to pull back as soon as possible before he did something he regretted.

“I’ll just leave you to it. Unpack your things and feel free to work on your PhD whenever you want.”

~*~

Arthur had had Merlin as his live-in maid for just over three weeks when he found himself coming to a halt outside the Anne Summers store in the high street as something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. In the middle of the window display was one of the cliché French maid outfits; strapless, corseted short black dress with a little white apron and little cap. The plastic model in the window also wore stockings and black stilettos but Arthur paid little attention to that. Instead, one particular recurring fantasy popped into his head and he had a mental picture of Merlin in that dress that just wouldn’t go away, not a good thing when he had a board meeting with his father in less than an hour’s time. He was blaming Gwaine.

He’d actually gone out drinking with friends that week, the first time in ages and had thoroughly enjoyed it. They were a rather eclectic bunch. Gwaine was the ultimate playboy and general reprobate; he modelled and did some acting but had a degree from Cambridge. Lancelot headed the team of lawyers for a global charity and Percival was a back row for London Wasps and had been capped for England several times. As for Leon ... well, they weren’t entirely sure what Leon did as he’d never said. Solid, dependable Leon (rather good-looking if you listened to Morgana) who had a tendency to disappear abroad on incredibly short notice. The others assumed that he worked in the Foreign Office but Arthur was banking on the Secret Intelligence Service.

They had all met at Arthur’s, eager to see the difference that Merlin had wrought and had all been suitable impressed. Merlin had come out of hiding in his study and had been introduced to them all, staying to chat for a little bit. Gwaine took a particular fancy to Merlin, leering at and flirting outrageously with him, drawing a series of blushes and bashful smiles from Merlin that caused Arthur’s chest to tighten with jealousy. He decided that he needed to remove Gwaine from Merlin’s presence as he really didn’t want Merlin to become another notch on Gwaine’s bedpost, and hurried them out the door, all of them calling out their farewells to Merlin as they went.

Five pints and two Jaegerbombs later, just as Gwaine stumbled to the bar to order several rounds of tequila shots, Arthur cringed as he remembered the board meeting he had the next day. Thankfully it was after lunch and he didn’t have any morning meetings which was a godsend as he’d have a bitch of a hangover. They did four rounds of tequila shots before coming to a mutual decision to call it a night. As they stumbled to the nearest taxi rank, Arthur found a completely wrecked Gwaine hung off his neck.

“Are you shagging what’s his name? I wouldn’t mind a crack at him if you’re not. You could join in if you like.”

“I’m not shagging Merlin and you’re not going to have a crack at him. He’s too good for you, you man-whore.”

“No need to get your knickers in a twist princess. Fucking gorgeous arse he has. How’d you keep your hands off it?” Gwaine’s Irish accent was always more pronounced the more he drank and his leer would have made any lothario proud.

“With great difficulty. Trust me.”

“He’s your maid right? He’d look so sexy in one of those little French maid dresses. Fucking gorgeous. You’d have to fuck him then ... you could just slide ...”

Arthur slammed the door of the cab on Gwaine, cutting off the end of the sentence as he hailed his own cab; he didn’t need any suggestions from Gwaine. He could guarantee he’d thought of anything and everything Gwaine could come up with before. Even down to the skimpy cliché French maid outfit.

He forced himself to walk straight past the Anne Summers shop; Merlin was his employee (technically) and they weren’t in a relationship so he shouldn’t be looking at things like that. He’d terrify Merlin before anything potentially could start. Therein lay the problem.

That he and Merlin co-existed well together had been established after barely a week but Arthur hadn’t been prepared for just how well Merlin would fit in with his life full-stop. He and Morgana got on like a house on fire, bonding primarily over their bullying of Arthur. Even his friends had loved Merlin a rather sickening amount for the short period of time they had met. Arthur was also unprepared for how much he would love having someone to come home to on a night. It was all rather domestic and Arthur had found himself enjoying it much more than he had ever imagined. He was rather daunted by the fact that he could happily have this (with Merlin) for the foreseeable future, ideally for the rest of his life.

However, what he had most definitely prepared himself for was the fact that he found Merlin irresistibly attractive. It wasn’t just the fey beauty that he had noticed the first time that Merlin arrived or the mouth-watering arse that he struggled to tear his eyes away from, but it was everything, the whole package that was Merlin Emrys. Personality wise they just clicked. Merlin wasn’t just an employee, he was a friend. There was a lot of shared banter and Arthur found himself able to relax in Merlin’s company completely; a safety that he’d only ever found with his friends (or the Knights as Morgana had jokingly called them once). He had the feeling that Merlin truly cared for him even though he was being paid to be there.

Every morning Merlin would get up and make Arthur breakfast, still in his pyjamas (a rather unattractive combination of worn baggy t-shirt and sweatpants, the t-shirt of which was too big for Merlin’s skinny frame and had a tendency to slide off his shoulders), while Arthur was in the shower. Dressed for work, Arthur would then come down to breakfast and they would eat either in comfortable silence or Merlin would chat about what he was intending to do around the house. Arthur couldn’t quite believe that even after three weeks Merlin was still sorting his house out and doing more work on that than on his PhD, although he had started making use of the study that Arthur had given to him.

The real problem came when Arthur had to leave for work. They had developed a little domestic routine and every morning, it was an almost physical struggle for Arthur to leave the house without kissing Merlin goodbye. It was the same every evening; when they went to bed, he struggled to keep himself from kissing Merlin goodnight. It might not sound like much, but he knew that as soon as he kissed Merlin he wasn’t going to be able to stop.

~*~

After six weeks of living together, and almost the same amount of time trying to resist temptation, Arthur finally lost his resolve. Every minute of time that he had spent with Merlin had chipped away at his resistance until, in a fleeting moment where his brain ceased to function and his instincts took over, he kissed Merlin. It was just like any other working day. Merlin had made them breakfast (Arthur’s favourite pancakes) while Arthur was in the shower and they had eaten while Merlin had chattered on about how he was hoping to finish a chapter of his thesis by mid-afternoon. When Arthur returned from collecting his briefcase, Merlin was just refilling the coffee pot and, without actually thinking about it, Arthur leant in and kissed Merlin gently on the cheek, the kiss landing on the corner of his mouth. They both froze, just staring at each other without moving and then Arthur decided to throw caution to the wind. Changing his trajectory slightly, he leant in again and kissed Merlin softly, this time kissing him full on the mouth and keeping his eyes open to watch Merlin’s reaction. There was an agonising (but in reality, probably no more than five second) wait and then Merlin’s eyes were sliding shut as he responded.

Arthur couldn’t help the moan of relief that escaped his throat as he turned Merlin slightly so that he was pressed into the kitchen counter. As Merlin’s arms rose to wrap around Arthur’s neck, one of Arthur’s arms wrapped around Merlin’s waist as the fingers of the other hand tangled themselves in thick black locks. The sounds that Merlin was making and the sensation of finally having him in his arms made Arthur feel as though he had died and gone to heaven. He cursed mentally as he heard the ringtone he had assigned to his father and pulled back reluctantly. As he did so, Merlin whimpered at the loss of contact, actually fucking whimpered and it was all Arthur could do not to drag him upstairs and spend the entire day in bed. He stepped back, dropping a kiss to Merlin’s nose and desperately avoided looking at the pout on Merlin’s lips.

“I’m sorry; I have to go to work. We can talk about it later but I don’t regret anything.” With that, he picked up his briefcase from where he had dropped it on the floor while kissing Merlin and left without looking back.

It was a pure delight that evening coming home to a house that was lit from within and actually looked welcoming. Walking in the front door, the house was filled with a combination of delicious scents coming from the kitchen and he could just hear Merlin humming away in the kitchen to something on the radio. He had been determined to leave at a respectable time that evening and it had been an inordinate pleasure to text Merlin at six pm to say that he was leaving work. However, the biggest delight was being able to walk into the kitchen and wrap his arms around Merlin, linking his fingers together over Merlin’s stomach and burying his nose in the soft dark hair that curled around Merlin’s ears. Merlin tensed slightly, not expecting the display of affection, and then relaxed back into Arthur.

They stood like that for several long minutes as Merlin finished what he was doing and switched off the gas. With that done he slowly turned around in Arthur’s embrace, careful not to disturb Arthur’s hands that were still linked at the small of his back as his own hands fisted themselves in the lapels of Arthur’s suit.

“Hi.”

“Hello.” It was obvious to Arthur that Merlin was still unsure as to what had happened that morning and what was going on between them. He had every intention of changing that. “I’ve been dying to do this all day.”

He wasn’t lying either. It was probably the most unproductive day that he’d ever had as he’d spent the entire time daydreaming and mentally replaying the morning. He leant in and kissed Merlin, licking at his lips until they parted beneath him and he could taste whatever Merlin had been cooking for dinner. All of a sudden it wasn’t enough.

“Will it spoil?”

“What?”

“The dinner. Will it spoil if we don’t eat it now?”

“No. It’ll keep for half an hour maybe.”

“Good.” Arthur had the feeling that it wouldn’t be long enough but it was a good start. He took Merlin’s hand and led him into the living room, sitting them both down on the sofa.

“You’re not completely sure about this Merlin. What’s the matter?”

“I just feel guilty. I’m your maid, your employee. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Technically you’re actually my father’s employee; he’s the one who pays your salary. Do you want this Merlin? Do you want me?”

“Yes.”

“Then stop over-thinking things. I want this, I want you and that’s all that matters.”

“Ok.”

At Arthur’s words and Merlin’s acceptance, the tension seemed to drain out of both of them. To Arthur’s surprise, it was Merlin who acted first, angling his body towards Arthur and leaning in to press his lips against Arthur’s. Before Merlin could pull back, Arthur’s hand shot out and tangled in Merlin’s hair, the length letting him do so earlier. He urged Merlin closer, wanting them to be as close as physically possible. He licked at the seam of Merlin’s lips until he was granted entrance and could taste what Merlin had been cooking as well as the underlying hint that was purely Merlin. He pulled back, taking in the dilated pupils and kiss-swollen lips, stroking the back of his knuckles over a flushed cheek.

“Simply beautiful.”

Pre-empting Merlin’s objections, he kissed him again and again until Merlin submitted with a whimper, arching against Arthur like a cat. Just as he had that morning, Merlin fisted his hands in Arthur’s jacket, pressing up against the other man’s more solid frame mewing softly as their mouths met over and over again, tongues sliding together languorously. Arthur was right ... half an hour wasn’t going to be enough.

~*~

It had been four weeks since Arthur had finally found the balls to kiss Merlin and Merlin had actually kissed him back. As ridiculous as it sounded (especially as it was disgustingly similar to a teenage girl with her first crush), Arthur had practically been floating on air. Then reality had sunk in and he had been plagued with insecurities. He hadn’t been in a relationship for years or a date, and his last few dates had been categorical disasters. He couldn’t ask his father because just no, it wasn’t going to happen and neither was he going to ask Morgana who would no doubt be unbearably smug and say ‘I told you so’. That left his friends.

He phoned Gwaine first; he might as well get the ridiculous (and no doubt useless) advice out of the way first. They met in a pub opposite the British Museum during the hiatus that Arthur had between evening meetings and Arthur couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement at Gwaine’s appearance. With the beard and shoulder-length hair that nearly always had the just-shagged look, Gwaine frequently looked as though he’d just got out of someone else’s bed. Arthur was already nursing an orange juice but Gwaine ordered a pint of Guinness, flirting outrageously with the barman as he did so, garnering an eye-roll from Arthur.

“So, what’s the emergency princess? What on earth could you need my help with?”

Arthur swallowed his pride and ignored the little voice that was screaming at him not to say anything. “It’s Merlin.”

A glint appeared in Gwaine’s eye. “Ah, your delectable little maid. You shagged him yet?”

Arthur’s silence spoke volumes.

“You haven’t? What are you waiting for? Have you done anything or are you trying to be noble?”

Arthur really didn’t want to divulge any details to Gwaine but in order to get the advice he would have to.

“Yes, we’ve done stuff. Pretty much everything short of full-blown sex.”

“And what? You don’t know how to get him to go all the way? Just seduce him, throw him on the bed and you’re away. It’s easy mate.”

Arthur bit his tongue to stop himself from saying that he didn’t want to rush Merlin and that he didn’t even know if Merlin was a virgin or not (he obviously had some experience from the way that he had enthusiastically and rather skilfully sucked Arthur’s cock the other morning in the shower). None of that would even occur to Gwaine or if it did he wouldn’t let it bother him. Arthur knew then that he wouldn’t get anything helpful out of Gwaine and swung the conversation round to Gwaine’s latest modelling job. Hopefully he’d fair better with Lancelot.

Two days later, Arthur walked into the World Food Cafe in Neal’s Yard, the venue that Lancelot had picked for their lunch (and exactly the kind of place that Arthur would have expected of the other man). In the interim he had texted Percival but his reply had said that he had been called up for the British Lions squad and was in Johannesburg trying to beat the Springboks. On the subject of Merlin, he’d simply said ‘Can’t you just ask him?’ Not the advice that Arthur was looking for. He walked up the stairs to the cafe and he didn’t have to look for Lance; he simply looked in the direction that all the women were staring in. Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, women’s (and more than a few men’s) adoring eyes followed Lance’s every move. Sadly for them, he was completely besotted with and hopelessly devoted to his fiancée Guinevere. The amusing thing was that Arthur didn’t realise that just as many eyes followed him. As Lance stood up to hug him, the smile that crossed Arthur’s face was genuine; he really did like Lancelot and he was fairly sure that the other man would give him sound advice. They ordered and then Lancelot spoke, the lawyer cutting straight to the chase.

“What’s all this about with Merlin then? From what Gwen’s said I thought things were going great.”

Gwen. Of course. It had totally slipped Arthur’s mind that Gwen and Morgana were close friends and they had both adopted Merlin, often dragging him out for brunch on a Sunday morning as well as numerous other occasions. He might have guessed that the subject of boyfriends would come up along with the ensuing gossip.

“It is going great but I’ve run into something that I don’t know how to deal with. I love Merlin, I think I’m in love with Merlin but well, we’ve done a lot of things but we haven’t actually had sex yet and...”

“Is he still sleeping in the spare room?”

“No. He moved into my bedroom a couple of days after the first time we kissed. It took a fair amount of persuasion. He felt guilty about the fact that we were embarking upon a fledgling relationship and he was still being paid by Father. I told him that Father has plenty of money and wouldn’t give a damn but Merlin still feels guilty I think.”

“In that case, your job is clear. You need to woo him.”

“My job is to woo him?” Arthur was completely incredulous. “Lance, this is the twenty-first century not a medieval romance. Do people even say ‘woo’ anymore?”

“Fine! Seduce him then.” He looked at Arthur sharply. “It doesn’t need to be seedy though, not like Gwaine’s seduction routine can be when he’s had too much to drink. Be romantic. Take him out on dates. You have taken him on a date before, haven’t you?”

Arthur looked rather sheepish.

“You haven’t taken him on a date? Arthur, what are you playing at?”

“Ok! I’ve apparently screwed up. I’ll take him out on a date.”

“Glad to hear it. Sorry Arthur, but I’m going to have to run. I have a new client this afternoon and I need to go over the case-files.” He waved Arthur off as he reached for his wallet. “I’ve got it. Just let me know how it goes. Gwen and I both really like Merlin and the two of you are perfect together; we don’t want you to screw things up.”

Two days after that, Arthur called on his last hope, Leon, just back from a trip to the Middle East. He had been vague on the details so Arthur hadn’t pushed and had agreed to meet Leon at the club the older man frequented. Arthur’s money and prestige, along with that of his father, guaranteed him entry to some rather prestigious venues but even could admit to being awed by the surroundings he found himself in as he entered the club. Handing his coat in at the entrance, he found himself ushered into the dining room where Leon was waiting for him.

“Hope you don’t mind but I’ve already ordered. It’s going to be filling up soon and I didn’t want us to be waiting for too long.”

Arthur nodded his agreement and took a sip of the wine that had just been poured by the sommelier, savouring the vintage.

“What’s all this about then? You said that this was to do with Merlin? I was under the impression that everything was going well.”

Leon was very similar to Lance; level-headed and straight to the point but he lacked the romanticism that Lance had in spades and so Arthur was desperately hoping that he would be able to help, even though none of them had a clue as to Leon’s love-life and whether he had a significant other or not.

“It is going well but we’ve just stagnated when it comes to moving things further on. Gwaine’s advice consisted of seduce him while Lance suggested that I take Merlin out on a date, so I did. Everything at the cinema was complete crap so I took him out for dinner. We went to a really nice Italian in Covent Garden that I’ve been told about numerous times. Everything was going really well, or so I thought. We went home and upstairs but I had to go the bathroom so I left Merlin in the bedroom. By the time I got out, Merlin was curled up in the bed fast asleep. Apparently he doesn’t do well with champagne.”

Arthur smiled ruefully as he took another (admittedly rather large) sip of wine. “Now I just don’t know what to do, I’ve run out of ideas.”

“I know it’s boring and probably not what you want to do but have you just thought of letting things progress at their own pace?”

“I think I’m going to have to.”

“Look, if Merlin really means that much to you then waiting that little bit longer won’t matter. Now, have you finished with all the angst? I don’t really find it that conducive to enjoying lunch.”

Arthur grinned but obligingly turned the conversation to the current British Lions tour. It was the least he could do as Leon was footing the bill for lunch.

To Arthur’s disappointment, there were no lights on in the house when he returned home that evening. He had hoped that Merlin would be in but apparently he was out of luck. His luck changed when he entered the front door and saw a trail of rose petals and tiny candles leading up the stairs and into the huge bathroom connected to the master bedroom, noting at the same time that his sheets had been replaced by some of infinitely higher quality. In the bathroom, rather in the bath, was a sight that improved his earlier despondent mood; a very wet and completely irresistible Merlin with a distinctly come-hither look on his face.

“Are you going to join me?”

Merlin needn’t have bothered asking; Arthur was already stripping his clothes off and leaving them where they fell. He wasted no time in sliding into the bath behind Merlin, banding an arm around the younger man’s chest and pulling him back into Arthur and pressing a kiss to his neck as he did so.

“No champagne?” He asked with a grin, trailing a hand over Merlin’s chest and lower.

“Well, I didn’t want to be a total cliché.” His grin was mirrored on Merlin’s face. “Besides, I actually want to stay awake for this.”

“And what is this?”

“You and me. Having sex. Or at least I hope that’s what this is going to be.” Merlin turned around, framing Arthur’s face with his hands so that the blond couldn’t look anywhere but directly at Merlin. “I don’t know if it’s some weirdly noble thing that you have going on but I’m not a virgin and I’m not going to break if we have sex. I appreciate that you didn’t jump straight into it but it’s been weeks now. I want you badly and I want you tonight. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all.”

Arthur didn’t waste any time after that. He scooped Merlin up and stepped out of the bath, towelling them both off before picking Merlin back up (for all his height, Merlin was so scrawny it was possible even if it wasn’t comfortable) and walking into the bedroom, depositing him on the bed. He crawled onto the bed, moving until he was hovering over Merlin, meshing their lips together for several long minutes before they broke apart for much-needed air and Arthur turned his attention elsewhere. Slowly, he made his way down Merlin’s chest licking, biting and pressing kisses to the vast expanse of creamy skin that had been exposed. He was aware that Merlin had craned his neck to watch through eyes that were gradually becoming hazier with lust by the second.

“Arthur, stop being such an honourable prat. I’ve told you once that I’m not going to break. I want this, I want you. Will you just get on with it.”

“Stop being so impatient Merlin. I want this just as much as you do but I also want to actually enjoy it so I’ll take my time thank you very much.”

He leaned over and started to fumble in the drawer of the bedside cabinet for the tub of lubricant before it was pressed into his hand by Merlin. He coated his fingers as he urged Merlin’s knees up towards his chest. Merlin realised what the older man wanted and hooked his hands beneath his knees, holding himself open. Arthur looked up and his breath caught in his throat at the picture Merlin made; lips swollen and bruised from kisses, eyes dilated with lust and legs held open. Slowly, he started to work his fingers into Merlin one at a time until Merlin was pushing back on them and begging Arthur almost incoherently for more. When Merlin was writhing in pleasure and impaling himself on Arthur’s fingers he knew that the younger man was ready.

Arthur swiftly lubricated his cock and slowly inched himself into Merlin. He paused to allow Merlin to adjust and only started moving when the younger man canted his hips. Not wanting to rush things he slowly started thrusting in and out, knowing the precise moment that he hit Merlin’s prostate when the younger man’s face contorted in pleasure. Despite Merlin’s attempts to move things along, he continued with his slow pace, wanting to make this first time special. When he knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer he leaned down to capture Merlin’s mouth, swallowing the moans and gasps that were escaping as he brought his hand in between their bodies to take hold of Merlin’s cock. Within minutes Merlin was coming, taking Arthur over the edge with him. Arthur slumped over Merlin’s body before slipping out of him, moving to the bathroom and bringing back a damp cloth to clean them up with. Merlin made no protest, lying limp on the bed and cuddling into Arthur when he finally got into the bed, pulling the covers up over them.

He looked down as a kiss was pressed against the underside of his jaw to see Merlin smiling up at him sleepily and also slightly nervously.

“I love you Arthur.”

“I love you too Merlin.”

The smiles stayed on both men’s faces as they slid into sleep, curled into each other under the duvet.

~*~

Merlin’s trial as Arthur’s maid had ended four months ago but he was still ensconced in Arthur’s house and, more importantly, in Arthur’s bed. After the slow and tentative start, their relationship had progressed quickly with both of them admitting that they loved each other before the trial period was over. Four months on, their relationship was going strong, they were still completely in love with each other, Merlin was nearing completion on the research for yet another chapter of his thesis and Arthur’s house was still (nearly) spotless.

Perhaps most importantly (as far as Gwaine was concerned and from the few details that he could glean), the sex was still fantastic...

Arthur was in the middle of preparing a presentation when the first text message arrived.

_What time are you coming home from work? M x_

Arthur looked slightly confused at the message; Merlin didn’t normally make any comment about the amount of time that Arthur spent at the office. He quickly typed out a response.

_I don’t know. Maybe in an hour? Why? A x_

Two responses came back within seconds, one SMS and one MMS. He clicked on the text message first.

_I just thought you might like to check that everything’s in order..._

Beyond curious, Arthur opened the picture message and swallowed heavily. He was practically out of the building by the time he sent the response;

_Leaving now. A x_

All the way home he was itching to look at the message again but he was incredibly proprietary of Merlin and he didn’t want to take the risk of any other commuters seeing it. He practically ran home from the station and was out of breath when he slammed the front door but the sight that awaited him in his study was worth his burning lungs. Merlin had looked great in the photo but in real life he was fucking phenomenal and Arthur didn’t think that he’d ever been this hard in his life. He was incoherent for several long minutes as his blood flow rushed southwards but those scant minutes were enough for Merlin to doubt both his actions and his clothing choice.

“Do you not like it?” His voice was barely audible despite the fact that the room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Arthur’s head snapped up and he saw Merlin fidgeting, attempting (and failing miserably) to pull his clothes down.

“I love it! You look fucking gorgeous.”

He was right. Merlin looked incredible. He was wearing the outfit that Arthur had picked out a month ago but had chickened out and hidden it, planning on forgetting that he had ever bought it and hoped that Merlin would never find it. On the day before Merlin’s trial period as Arthur’s maid ended, Arthur had done what he had wanted to do since the third week; he went out and bought the French maid’s outfit from Anne Summers. It was possibly the most humiliating experience of his life but then he thought about Merlin wearing said outfit and the humiliation was worth it. He even threw in the stockings and stilettos (Merlin could barely walk as it was without tripping over something but Arthur was confident that the shoes wouldn’t stay on for long). Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Merlin had obviously found it while he tidying the main bedroom that they now shared.

Merlin had foregone the little lacy cap but he was wearing the rest of the outfit; the tiny little dress, the stockings and stilettos. In the corseted dress, his waist looked even tinier than normal and his mind boggled at how Merlin had done the laces by himself.

“Gwen helped me lace it up.”

If he wasn’t thoroughly used to the way that Merlin almost seemed able to read his mind then it would thoroughly unnerve him. He was somewhat surprised that Merlin had let Gwen see him dressed like that, especially considering Merlin’s insecurities about Arthur seeing him like that and Arthur was his lover. Merlin seemed to sense this and he spoke again.

“It was either Gwen or Morgana and as much as I love your sister there was no way in hell that I’d let her see me like this. Or ask for her help; she’d be unbearable.”

As he spoke, Merlin seemed to relax more, giving Arthur the opportunity to look his fill and he certainly wasn’t disappointed. Standing in the stilettos Merlin was taller than him by several inches, but as Arthur moved closer in, feeling like a hunter stalking his prey, Merlin backed up until he was perched on the edge of Arthur’s desk and they were the same height once more (which Arthur definitely preferred). Finally closing the distance between them, he stepped up flush against the desk, forcing Merlin to rest his full weight on the desk and his legs to spread so that Arthur could stand between them. His hands automatically went to Merlin’s waist and he thrilled inwardly at the realisation that his hands were almost touching in the small of Merlin’s back. He lowered his head so that he could trail kisses across Merlin’s chest just above the neckline of the black dress. It wasn’t enough.

He coaxed Merlin’s legs to wrap around his hips and moved around the desk to the leather chair Merlin was always teasing him was obscene. Sinking into its overstuffed comfort, he reached behind himself and pulled off the stilettos that were now unnecessary. Their mouths met even as Merlin wriggled enticingly in his lap, leaving Arthur desperately hard. Pulling back reluctantly for air, he found a small bottle pushed into his hand and realised just how well Merlin had planned this. His slight smirk was lost on Merlin who had evidently decided that Arthur was wearing too many clothes and had started to divest him of them.

Arthur coated his fingers with the lube and slid his hand under the hem of the dress only to stop in shock and stare at Merlin, dimly noting the blush that just seemed to spread, covering his face, ears and even spreading down his chest.

“You ... you’re ...”

“Naked?” Merlin supplied helpfully, still blushing but now with a small smile playing on his lips. “Gwen brought me some knickers but there was no way that I was going to wear them and my boxers just looked wrong.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining. I was just surprised.”

He pressed a soft kiss to the base of Merlin’s throat, as his fingers resumed their movements, slowly working Merlin open. When Merlin was squirming in his lap and Arthur was satisfied that he was prepared, he coaxed Merlin up on his knees with one hand as he unzipped his trousers with the other, slicking himself up once he’d done so. The tight heat that engulfed him as Merlin slowly took Arthur’s cock into himself was almost overwhelming but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the figure in his lap. By the time that he had fully seated himself, Merlin was panting slightly and Arthur’s breathing was faster than normal. Slowly, Merlin started to rise and lower himself on Arthur’s cock, aided by Arthur who had one hand on Merlin’s corseted waist and the other under the skirt gripping Merlin’s arse. With the visual in front of him and the sensation of Merlin wrapped around him, their mouths meeting in a series of heated kisses, there was no way that Arthur was going to last long, that either of them would last. Almost at the same time that Merlin came with a keening wail, Arthur’s hips snapped up one last time, throwing his head back as he came. He gently pulled Merlin off his softening cock, helping him to curl up in Arthur’s lap, pressing close as Arthur wrapped his arms around the slight frame.

Arthur absent-mindedly pressed kisses to the dark hair nestled in his shoulder, feeling Merlin reciprocate and press kisses to the bits of Arthur’s chest that he could reach through the blond’s partially opened shirt. As Merlin nestled even closer, Arthur wondered if he could persuade Merlin to do the cleaning in just the apron and nothing else...

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like to comment on LJ, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.livejournal.com/55341.html)


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